For the People
by MusicalIncline
Summary: Les Mis AU. Current Day. Enjolras is a law student who becomes tangled in Eponine's world of lies. Can he lead her from the darkness?
1. Chapter 1

A/N. I don't own Les Mis.

All characters in this fic are fashioned after the movie cast, and, sadly, I don't own them either.

I'm rating this as M because, apparently, that's what a story has to be rated as for references to some violence (FanFiction's story guidelines), so, whatever.

* * *

Eponine Thenardier struggled to keep her eyes open as Professor Joel Rupert droned on about malum… something. Eponine sighed and took in her surroundings. The majority of the class was scribbling notes down in their notebooks. A few students were furiously staring Professor Rupert down as if they could make him combust into flame. Eponine snuck a glance at the young man next to her, and her heart leapt as he crinkled his nose at his notebook. This was Marius Pontmercy. His green eyes were flicking about his notes, trying to find the definition of whatever it was that Professor Rupert was talking about now. Eponine was just marveling the multitude of freckles on his face as a flurry of movement on the other side of the classroom caught her attention. She inwardly groaned as she recognized the source. It was that blonde haired friend of Marius… What was his name? It started with an E. He was always asking questions and disputing opinions in class.

Professor Rupert seemed determined to ignore the opinionated student. He found this hard, however, as the entire classroom stopped writing notes and stared at the raised hand. Professor Rupert had no choice but to acknowledge his student.

"Mister… Enjolras?" Professor Rupert lazily asked.

"Professor Rupert-"

"DOCTOR Rupert, if you please." Eponine rolled her eyes. This man didn't seem to look like a doctor. He didn't have on gloves or a white coat. Eponine had decided on day one to keep addressing him as professor.

"Doctor Rupert," Enjolras said, voice dripping with disdain. "I have a question about malam in se. You say that it's an act that is evil in itself, like murder or assault. However, in yesterday's example case, you ruled in favor of someone who beat a beggar."

"Your point being…?" asked the professor.

"My point, professor," Enjolras seemed to spit out his words, "is that the two lessons contradict each other. Aren't we studying law to help people?"

Professor Rupert let out a harsh laugh. "Don't be silly, my boy. You're only employed to make money for your law firm. How, per say, would the beggar have paid you? Sure, some self-righteous pricks may think that it's their job to choose right from wrong, but the 'good side' won't pay the bills!"

Enjolras jumped out of his seat, and a couple students gasped. "I'm here to help people!"

"Prove. It." Professor Rupert drew himself up to his full height. "I ran a multi-million dollar law firm back in the United States! The fact that you think you can tell me how to practice law is almost laughable! Don't delude yourself into thinking you can make a difference in the world."

The clock struck 3:00, but no one moved. Everyone was afraid to get into the cross-fire of this argument. Professor Rupert stared Enjolras down for a couple more minutes, then seemed to realize that he was in front of a lecture hall full of students. He looked down at his watch and frowned. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Class is dismissed!" He barked as he grabbed his suitcase and stormed out of the classroom.

It was almost as if time suddenly started again as the students broke from their stunned silence, picked up their belongings, and started towards the door. Marius struggled to organize his notes as Eponine "accidently" knocked her own notebook off her desk. As the student on her right hurried to help pick up her notes, Eponine swiftly reached into their backpack and swiped their wallet. She hid it in the sleeve of her baggy sweatshirt as the student straightened, notes in hand. He blushed as he gave it back to her.

"Merci!" Eponine called as the student grabbed their backpack and left the room. Eponine sighed wearily. She had never wanted to steal other people's belongings.

It had all started over the summer. Eponine was following Marius as he signed up for his fall classes. She hadn't even noticed as one of her father's lackeys, Brujon, followed the pair. Of course, Brujon had told Eponine's father, Thenardier, of the rich young boy that his daughter was so fond of. A wicked smile grew on Thenardier's face as he heard of what they were doing.

"Signing up for university classes, huh?" His glare focused on Eponine, who was trying to disappear in the corner. "You! You'll go to these classes with this boy. Steal what you can, when you can. Don't come through, and it will be pain for you, my dear."

"But… what if someone notices that I'm not enrolled in the class?" Eponine quietly asked.

She had gotten quite the beating for "being smart" that night. It didn't matter in the end. With a class of 40 some students, Professor Rupert didn't even bother with attendance.

Eponine was bringing in around 30 euros a week. At first, this pleased her father, but he soon became all too eager for more money.

A light touch on her arm snapped Eponine out of her thoughts. "Are you ready to go, Eponine?" Marius asked as he stood up.

Eponine felt a pleasant tingling sensation on her arm where Marius was touching it. "Of course, Monsieur Marius!"

Marius' green eyes crinkled in amusement. "I told you, it's just Marius."

"Right, sorry, Mon- Marius." Eponine blushed as Marius laughed and turned away. Eponine took this opportunity to slip the stolen wallet from her sleeve into the backpack she had "acquired". She didn't notice a piercing pair of blue eyes watching her from across the room.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites and follows! I am completely humbled by all of it, and I hope that this story can live up to your expectations. If there's anything you'd like to see eventually, just let me know, and I'll try to find a place for it.

Also, I know that France has officially dropped "mademoiselle" from use, but I'm going to use it in the story. I'm going to take extreme artistic liberties with… well… life. What fun would it be if Javert could simply look up Thenardier's fingerprints at crime scenes or if Marius could just facebook Cosette? (none.)

Jondrette: Yes! Professor.. ahem… Doctor Rupert is based off of Professor Callahan from Legally Blonde, which is also where I took the information on 'malam in se' from! Nice call! I chose Rupert for his last name because the OBC Callahan was played by Michael Rupert.

* * *

Gabriel Enjolras scratched his curly blonde hair as he glanced around the food court. Where was Marius? He said he would meet Enjolras for dinner at 5, and it was now 5:17. Enjolras sighed as he slowly stirred his soup. Some things never changed. Grantaire never showed up to his classes completely sober, and Marius never showed up on time for anything but exam days in their law classes.

Enjolras caught a glance of Marius as he entered the food court, and the sight made Enjolras' brow furrow even more. He recognized the girl from their class with Dr. Rupert. He had hung back after class today in order to avoid the stares from his classmates. He noticed the girl pull her wallet out of her baggy sweatshirt sleeve. That seemed like an odd place for someone to keep a wallet, but Enjolras had brushed it off. Perhaps she was taking precautions against getting robbed. He had read in the school newspaper today that the infamous crime group, Patron-Minette, was still at large. Still… there was something strange about Marius' companion…

Enjolras ripped himself from his thoughts as the pair reached his table. Marius threw his backpack down on to an empty chair. "Do you mind if I grab some food?" Enjolras dismissively waved his hand as Marius turned to his friend. "Coming, 'Ponine?"

"No," muttered Eponine. Enjolras had to resist the urge to lean in to hear her. "I'm fine. You- you go ahead."

Marius shrugged as he headed for the bistro. Enjolras took in Eponine's unsure stance. "Would you care to sit down, mademoiselle?"

Eponine bit her lip as she considered the possible outcomes of the situation. What if Enjolras got a good look at her, saw how dirty and skinny she was, and dismissed her? Or worse, what if he called her out in front of Marius? However, if she left, she would lose time with Marius, and she would have nowhere else to go but home. Home was a place that Eponine tried to avoid at all costs. And then there was the fact that he addressed her in such a way. Eponine wasn't used to positive attention. The only person who had ever given any sort of positive attention was Marius. Was this a trick?

She started as Enjolras cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at her. She slowly lowered herself into a chair and he returned his attention to his soup. Eponine didn't want to stare at him as he ate – her stomach was grumbling enough as it was – but she didn't want to just stare at the table either. Eponine decided to look around for Marius. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Marius was staring at a beautiful blonde woman who was slowly packing up her things. The cashier at the bistro was trying to get his attention, but Marius paid him no mind. Eponine frowned as she looked the blonde intruder over. How dare she steal Marius' attentions away from her? And why was she sitting alone in the corner? Eponine snorted in derision. She must have some terrible deformity. Perhaps she wasn't actually attractive at all! Maybe Eponine had gotten so hungry that it was affecting her vision! That must be it! Marius was only staring because this petite blonde was so atrocious!

Enjolras looked up from his soup when Eponine snorted. He followed her line of sight and inwardly groaned. Great. Pontmercy was enamored by a girl. What he couldn't deduce, however, was why the brunette across the table from him was so angry. If she wasn't Marius' girlfriend (and Enjolras was certain she wasn't, as he hadn't heard any sappy monologues from his friend), who was she? He took in every aspect of Eponine's appearance. Her dirty brown hair fell around her heart-shaped face in wavy tendrils. It must not have gotten a good washing for a while, as it looked vaguely greasy. Either that or Eponine had partied too hard last night and was too hung-over this morning to shower... or even run a brush through it, for that matter. Her skin was either very dirty or very tanned. Enjolras was leaning towards the former. Her cheeks were sunken in, and Enjolras suspected that the sweatshirt she was wearing was around three sizes too big for her.

Eponine tore her gaze from the sickening display of whatever it was that Pontmercy had going on, and Enjolras found himself staring into chocolate brown eyes. There was sadness and pain in them, but Enjolras didn't have time to dwell on it as Eponine glared at him.

"It's rude to stare, you know."

Enjolras was caught off guard. "I'm sorry, mademoiselle."

"Don't." Enjolras was surprised to see how affronted she looked. "It's just Eponine."

"Well, then I'm sorry, Eponine."

"Apology accepted." A warm, but hesitant smile graced Eponine's features, and Enjolras took in the dimples that appeared beneath the grime.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I don't want to seem rude."

The rumbling in Eponine's stomach had multiplied, but she didn't dare spend some of the stolen euros and risk her father's wrath. "No, sir, I'm fine."

Enjolras eyed her closely. Something had changed in the dark brown abyss in her eyes. "It's Enjolras, please."

"Well, I'm fine then, Enjolras."

Enjolras still didn't believe her. Before he had time to reply, however, Marius had appeared. "I've just had the most wonderful experience!"

Eponine resisted the urge to vomit. She quickly stood up and grabbed her backpack. "I really must be going."

Marius nodded, lost in memory of the radiant blonde. Enjolras, however, quirked an eyebrow at the brunette's quickly retreating form. Sure, he wanted to get out of here before Marius started reciting poetry and proclaiming his love for a stranger, but something didn't settle in his stomach with the situation.

Enjolras watched as Eponine got to the door, glanced furtively over her shoulder, and left the building. He quickly brushed it from his mind, however, as Marius began to tell the story of how his world was suddenly in color, or some equally as disgusting parallel.

.

Eponine glanced behind her as she quickly walked down the sidewalk. She didn't want anyone from the university to follow her and discover her reality. She didn't really want to go back to the place that she was forced to call home, but she knew that the sooner she got there, the less annoyed her father would be. He hated waiting.

Eponine ducked through some bushes and checked her surroundings. When she was satisfied that no one was around, she quickly darted up to the flat that she was forced to share with her parents. She whisked through the door and was quickly stopped by a rough hand on her shoulder.

"Were you followed?" inquired the rough voice of her father. Eponine risked a glance at his face. His auburn hair was messy, and his breath smelled of booze.

"No, papa. I checked multiple times."

Thenardier's beady black eyes searched Eponine's face. When he was certain that she was telling the truth, he let go of her shoulder and snatched the backpack from her. "Anything good today?"

Eponine silently watched as he pulled out the wallet she had stolen after class. His mouth curled into a sneer as he pulled out 7 euros. "Only seven? Well, we'll have to make up for this mishap, won't we?"

Eponine fought to keep her face void of the fear that was slowly spreading through her body. Thenardier grabbed his daughter and threw her down the hallway. Eponine cried out as her small frame hit the wall.

"The boys and I are going out at eleven tonight, 'Ponine, and I expect you to join us."

Eponine nodded as she crawled through her bedroom door. She closed the door behind her and made her way to the small mirror that she had stolen last week. Her stomach turned as she thought about what tonight would bring. Her father, Thenardier, was the leader of the crime group known as Patron-Minette. They were infamous for thefts and even some murders. Eponine normally served as a look-out, but she hated to be a part in anything so vile. It was better to go along with it, though. When she didn't go along with her father's schemes, he let his gang members beat her.

Eponine winced as she pulled off her large sweatshirt and examined her tiny torso in her small mirror. Her skin was peppered with bruises, old and new. She had to choke back a sob as she thought of what Monsieur Marius would say if he could see her now.


	3. Chapter 3

Eponine wrapped the black tattered sweater tighter around her slim figure. It must have been around two or three in the morning, and the cool autumn wind was blowing through her dirty hair as she quietly followed her father and his gang, Patron-Minette. "You've done it this time," she thought miserably. She thought back to class that day and mentally berated herself for not stealing another wallet. The argument between that opinionated Enjolras and the professor had distracted her, she mused as she balled her fists around the thin black garment in anger. That was it. It was all Enjolras' fault for making her forget her place. How could her precious Marius be friends with such an outspoken swine?

Eponine was jerked out of her thoughts as the group abruptly stopped in front of a house that Eponine had never seen before.

"This is it," hissed Thenardier between his yellowing teeth. "Brujon! You take the look out." The young gang member smirked at Eponine before he silently slinked away into the shadows. Eponine's blood ran cold. She must really be in for it if she wasn't playing lookout for the band of criminals.

"'Ponine! You can stay by me," murmured Montparnasse in Eponine's ear. She fought to keep the grimace off her face as the stench of his rancid breath crossed her nose. Montparnasse wrapped an arm around her waist as he turned her to face her father.

"Alright. You know what we're here for. Grab anything that looks valuable. Gueulemer, you take the dining room and kitchen. Babet, you help him. I'll take the living room. 'Parnasse, you make sure 'Ponine doesn't fuck this up. You two take the bedrooms." The lackeys nodded at their leader as they set off for the back door (picked, courtesy of Claquesous). Thenardier grabbed his daughter's wrist and sneered at her. "I mean it, don't fuck this one up, or I'll make you wish for death."

Eponine struggled to keep her face void of emotion as Montparnasse led her up the stairs of the foreign home. She could hear a faint snoring coming from behind one of the closed doors. "We'll have better luck in the girl's room," 'Parnasse breathed into Eponine's ear. The young assassin let go of Eponine's waist and crept down the dark hallway. He silently opened a door near the end of the hallway and peeked in. He motioned to Eponine to follow him as he slunk into the room, as fluid as a shadow. Eponine crept behind into the bedroom behind him and looked around the dark room.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she peered around the room. Montparnasse was already picking jewelry out of a small wooden box. Eponine's chocolate eyes landed on the sleeping form in the corner and felt the room spin. She recognized the girl. It was the blonde student from the university. Eponine took the opportunity to study the young woman. She definitely wasn't deformed. In fact, she was quite beautiful. Her blonde locks gently curled around her relaxed face. Eponine shook herself out of her inspection and tried to rid herself of the jealous tears that were threatening to fill her eyes. Of course Marius was smitten with her.

Eponine turned away and found herself observing the drawings and doodles that littered the rather large desk in the room. Eponine picked one up out of curiosity. The young woman had been doodling her name over and over in different fonts. Cosette. Why did that seem so familiar?

* * *

"I swear, Enj- Enjolra… ras. I can do this on my own."

"You can, what, pray tell? Walk? Because I'm finding that hard to believe."

"Yus. I can… erm… walk. I can walk."

"Ah, but can you walk and talk?"

"Shuddup, Courfeyrac."

Enjolras shook his head. He could only imagine what the trio would look like to anyone passing by. Courfeyrac and Enjolras had Grantaire slumped between them as they half carried and half dragged their drunken friend down the dark sidewalk.

"Why do you insist on drinking so much?" inquired the dark haired Courfeyrac.

"It gets me the ladies," slurred Grantaire. He tried to blow a kiss to an invisible lady, but only succeeded in smacking Enjolras in the back of the head.

Courfeyrac began to laugh so hard that he almost dropped the drunk. Enjolras shot him his best glare.

"I hardly think that this is a laughing matter."

At this point, Courfeyrac doubled over in laughter, and Grantaire dropped to his hands and knees. Enjolras was about to help him up when Grantaire clutched his stomach.

"I think that I may need to take a minute, mon ami." At this, Grantaire began to expel the alcohol from his stomach.

"Oh, yes, Grantaire. Lovely. Sure to get all the ladies, right, Enjolras?" Courfeyrac choked out between laughs.

Enjolras, however, wasn't listening. He was watching the dark figure that was surveying them from the shadows across the street.

"I beg your pardon for my friend, monsieur," Enjolras apologized to the thin man.

The man froze when he realized that the three college students had noticed him. He promptly turned and disappeared between two houses. Enjolras and Courfeyrac exchanged a shrug as they hauled their inebriated comrade off the concrete and continued on their way home.

* * *

Eponine had followed Montparnasse out of Cosette's room when the assassin was satisfied with his now bulging pockets. The young pair was now silently searching the guest bedroom. Something, however, felt wrong. Eponine paused and glanced at the dark shadow that was 'Parnasse. He didn't seem to be bothered by the same strange feeling as he dug through the vanity next to the bed. Eponine sighed as she thought about the situation she had landed herself in and started. Her low sigh had seemed awfully loud in the silence. Eponine and Montparnasse seemed to reach the same conclusion at the same time. The snoring from down the hall had stopped! Someone was awake! Montparnasse fumbled for his cell phone so he could send a warning text to the rest of the group and nearly dropped the small item as the sound of sirens approached the house. Montparnasse grabbed Eponine's arm as he tried to hide his terror.

"Hide!" he hissed as he dove under the bed.

Eponine frantically looked around the room. Montparnasse had taken the only hiding spot in the small guest room, and Eponine didn't dare to try to find a way out through the hallway. She found herself starting towards the clear glass doors that led out to the balcony. Her hand froze on the doorknob as a knock on the front door reverberated through the house.

"Police! Open up!"

Eponine's ears picked up the sounds of scuffling from the ground floor and darted out on to the balcony. She looked over the edge and surveyed the flowered bushes. It was too far to jump but maybe… Eponine carefully lifted herself over the railing and hung from the edge of the paved balcony. She quickly dropped into the bushes. She rubbed her shoulder as she rolled out of the bushes. She got up and gingerly placed pressure on her now sore ankle. Eponine risked a glance around the side of the house. Red and blue flashing lights now illuminated the once dark neighborhood. Eponine slid through the shadows and took off running.

* * *

Enjolras wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. The trio was almost to Grantaire's apartment. Enjolras was so caught up in his thoughts of the dark shadow and the police cars that had passed them a few blocks away that he didn't even hear the hurried footsteps that were approaching him. He didn't notice, that is, until the small woman cloaked in darkness slammed into the small of his back.

"I'm, I'm sorry, monsieur," gasped the young woman between breaths.

All the anger that had previously clouded Enjolras' eyes dissipated as he recognized who it was that had ran right into him.

"Eponine?"

Brown eyes flashed up to Enjolras' usually stone face and Enjolras was taken aback by the tears that threatened to spill from them.

"Enjolras!"

"Why were you running?"

A wave of mistrust and fear swept over Eponine's face. Puzzle pieces clicked in Enjolras' head. She had come from the direction that the police were heading, she was out of breath, clothed in black, and she kept glancing over her shoulder when she thought no one would notice.

"Eponine," Enjolras locked his cool blue eyes with her terrified brown ones. "Were you running from the police?"

Eponine looked indignant, but that look quickly disappeared from her face as the sound of sirens seemed to grow closer. "Enjolras, I-"

"Come on! The last one can't be far away!" It seemed that the police had split up and were now searching for her.

Eponine's face blanched, and Enjolras quickly thought through his options. He grabbed her skinny arm and turned to a bewildered Courfeyrac and mildly amused Grantaire. Eponine fought against his grip as her options for escape quickly diminished.

"Courf, can you take Grantaire from here?" Courfeyrac managed a nod as Grantaire blew Eponine a small kiss.

Enjolras chose to ignore the drunk and started pulling a disgusted Eponine down the sidewalk.

"Please, Enjolras. Please don't take me to the cops. I can expla-" Enjolras cut her off with a quick glance.

"I'm not. I'll take you up on that explanation, but later. We've got to get out of here. My apartment isn't far off."

Enjolras pulled Eponine down a dark side street. He didn't miss the limp that accompanied Eponine's movements.

"Why?" Eponine inquired.

"I have my reasons. Hurry."

Eponine tried to ignore the pain that was shooting through her ankle as she tried to keep up with Enjolras' long strides, and the pair disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Enjolras dug his key out of his pocket, and unlocked the door as Eponine glanced around. He was right, the apartment hadn't been far off, but there were a few times when Eponine was sure that they were going to run right into the police. Enjolras ushered her into the small flat and glanced at his watch with a sigh.

"It's late. You may take my bed," he offered as he turned to hang his coat on a small rack. For the second time that night, he felt Eponine's small body slam in to him, but this time, it wasn't accidental. Enjolras was mildly surprised by the strength that hid itself in Eponine's small frame.

"I am no charity case!" Eponine's chocolate eyes were alight with anger.

Enjolras merely raised an eyebrow at her. "I never said you were. You can take the couch if that suits your fancy. I just assumed-"

Eponine cut him off, her voice nearly at a yell. "If I'm not a charity case, then why the hell am I here? What are your so called reasons?"

Enjolras had enough of this. He spun her around and pinned her to the wall. "I do believe you owe me an explanation first." His voice was low, but Eponine flinched.

"It's just… Well… My family isn't the greatest." Eponine had to tread carefully. She didn't want to risk having Enjolras find out that she was a Thenardier. What if he changed his mind and called the police? "I did something wrong, and as a result, I was pulled into their activities, but I swear, monsieur, I did not go willingly."

Enjolras lightened his grip on her arms and stepped back. He could tell she was omitting a lot of details, but the night had been eventful enough as it was. Now probably wasn't the best time. "I thought I told you to call me Enjolras."

Eponine's eyebrows shot up as she carefully observed his face. "Your turn."

Enjolras sighed. "Grantaire had called Courfeyrac and I as we were leaving Combferre's place. He drank too much and needed help getting home. When we came across you, I realized that you were probably running from the police, but I don't think you're a bad person. I assumed that you had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, I am of the personal belief that everyone deserves a chance to better themselves." Enjolras cut himself off before he started lecturing Eponine on how the need for crime was really just a symptom of the class structure. That probably wouldn't go over well at all.

Eponine eyed him suspiciously and, when satisfied, turned and surveyed the couch. "I'm going to need blankets, you know."

Enjolras grabbed some spare blankets from the closet and gently handed them to Eponine. "I think there's some clean sweatpants and a clean t-shirt in the bathroom, if you'd like to change."

Enjolras was shocked to see a warm smile grace Eponine's dirty face. "I'll be fine. Thank you, Enjolras."

Enjolras gave her a small smile as he made his way to his bedroom. "Yes, Eponine. I think you will be."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! A huge thank you to my friend, Duckie, who helped my plot monkeys back on their feet.

Read and review! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm sorry that this update was rather delayed. Life decided to slap me in the face, and this kind of got shoved on to the back burner in the process. This was also a really hard chapter to write, but a back story was necessary for the E/E to eventually commence.

I still don't own Les Mis or the beautiful people that played them in the 2012 movie. In fact, go ahead and just keep assuming that I don't own them unless I say otherwise.

This entire story pretty much has a trigger warning for abuse. It's prevalent in this chapter, as well as a trigger warning for rape.

* * *

Eponine tossed and turned on the small couch. It was too… comfortable? Eponine wondered how that was possible. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in God knows how long. Trying to sleep on this couch was fruitless. Eponine felt like the gap between the cushions was trying to swallow her whole. Eponine moved a little too fast and a spasm of pain shot through her side. Eponine clutched her rib cage as she slowly sat up. A frown settled upon her features as she thought of the members of Patron-Minette and the night's events. What went wrong? The gang had committed hundreds of crimes. Sure, sometimes a member would get caught, but the police never caught on to which group the fiend belonged to. What happened? Eponine carefully sifted through her memories of the night. Claquesous had picked the lock on the door. Her father had paired her with Montparnasse, which ruled out the possibility of a set-up. No, if her father had wanted her caught, he would have sent her to the house by herself. Eponine grimaced as she thought of 'Parnasse. The two had been friends once. He had shown her kindness, and Eponine thought that he actually appreciated her personality, her brains. Her heart sunk as she remembered the day that she found out why he was really being nice to her.

* * *

The sound of laughter filled the woods as the two teenagers chased each other through the trees.

"And… I… gotcha!" Eponine tapped Montparnasse's bony shoulder, turned, and flitted back through the trees.

Montparnasse watched in wonder as the golden sunlight illuminated her brown waves. Eponine glanced over her shoulder and giggled at her friend. Montparnasse always gave her a head start. When he mentally reached the count of twenty, he took off like a shot. Eponine let loose a small shriek as he quickly closed the gap between them. Normally they would play tag for hours, but Montparnasse had needs, damn it. He lowered his shoulder and launched himself into the small female. The pair landed on the soft moss at the base of the trees.

Eponine's laughter slowly subsided when she realized that Montparnasse wasn't getting off of her. He was leaning over her and just… staring. Why wasn't he running away? Her warm chocolate orbs slowly searched his cold grey ones. Her brow furrowed when she realized where exactly he was staring. She self-consciously glanced at her chest. She had noticed quite a few of her father's friends staring at her chest in the past few weeks, and a couple of them had even tried to touch her when she ran across them in the cheap motel her parents ran. Rough hands on her chest pulled her out of her thoughts.

"'Parnasse! What the hell are you doing?!" Eponine's blood ran cold. What was he playing at? Eponine opened her mouth to further protest, but Montparnasse had other plans. His mouth covered Eponine's as his tongue explored her mouth. Eponine tried to shove him off of her, but he was just too heavy.

Montparnasse quickly slid his hands under Eponine's clothing as he began to gyrate against her hip. Eponine started to panic.

…

Montparnasse finished and zipped up his trousers. He took in the sight of the trembling form curled up at the base of the tree. "Perhaps I'll catch you later, 'Ponine," he sneered.

Eponine listened as his soft footsteps retreated through the trees. When she could no longer hear them, she forced herself to lift her head. She wiped the tears from her eyes and her vision cleared. What was she to do now? She lifted her head and looked through the leaves. Blue used to be her favorite color. It was the color of her childhood bonnet, of the sky, but now… Now the sky was just a dull gray. The autumn leaves didn't seem as colorful either, and each movement was like trying to move through thick mud. Eponine got to her feet, steadying herself on the tree. She thought Montparnasse was her friend, but what kind of friend… Eponine shook her head to clear her thoughts. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and raised her chin. She knew what she needed to do. She needed to tell her father.

…

Eponine shuffled through the door of her parent's motel. She didn't have to look for her father, however. He was seated behind the front desk, absentmindedly stroking his sideburns. His eyes seemed to burn a hole right through her.

"Papa, I need to confide in you." Thenardier lifted an eyebrow, which Eponine took as a sign to continue. "It's about Montparnasse."

Thenardier lazily lifted a hand. "Don't you fret, 'Ponine. 'Parnasse already told me."

Eponine felt a small wave of relief. Her papa wouldn't stand for this, surely. She was his daughter, his little 'Ponine. That small wave of relief, however, quickly dissipated as her father's demeanor became as cold as ice. He slowly stood, and Eponine had to resist the urge to cower.

"I'm disappointed, dear Eponine," Thenardier practically spit out her name, "that you have chosen this path. The least you could do is charge for your services." Eponine stopped breathing as her father's gang filed out into the main room. Their eyes were cold, their smiles mischievous, and their pants unbuttoned. "Luckily for you, my gents have just paid me."

That was when Eponine's world truly stopped.

* * *

Eponine tried to stifle the cry that began to rise in her throat. That day… That was the day she changed. That was the day that she learned to never trust anyone. She never walked into a situation without considering all of the outcomes, and she sure as hell didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve anymore. That was the day she formed her opinion of what it was to be weak. That was the day she swore never to be the victim again.

She still didn't understand. She wasn't always the victim. She remembered being the light in her parents' eyes, skipping around the motel in her blue bonnet with her beautiful doll. There was one part of her childhood that remained fuzzy, though. She buried her face in her hands as she tried to recall her memories. She remembered a flash of gold. Jewelry, perhaps? No. Her parents only used her as a distraction until after her incident with Montparnasse. It was only after this that she had to learn to steal. Hair? The thought sparked a part of her brain, but no one in her family was blonde. Well, Gavroche had dirty blonde hair, but he wasn't around the motel, and his hair definitely wasn't the color of wheat in the sun. Eponine snapped her head up as something occurred to her. It was after this… gold something that things started to change. It was then that her parents made her work, made her grow up far too fast.

Eponine's teeth bit down into her bottom lip. She felt like she was getting closer to unraveling her past, but the truth was tangled up in a mess of lies. Eponine let out a small sigh as tears began to well in her eyes. What was wrong with her? What did she do to deserve this wretched shell of a life? Her breath hitched as a small noise came from Enjolras' bedroom. She froze and focused every fiber of her being on listening. After a few minutes, she decided it was just Enjolras turning in his sleep.

Ah, yes. Enjolras. A small part of Eponine felt bad for lashing out at him after he saved her from the police. It was just that no one had shown her such kindness. No one except Marius, of course. But Enjolras wasn't her precious Marius. Oh, no. Quite the contrary. Marius was warm and inviting, whilst Enjolras was the Ice King. She had never seen him smile at anyone. Well, he had smiled at her as she set up the blankets on the couch, but it was probably just out of manners. Why, then, did he help her? Eponine was sure he had heard the police shout that "the last one wasn't far away." The only thing that made sense to Eponine was that this was a trick. Yes, that must be it. Her father had been getting suspicious about Eponine's relationship with Marius. He was afraid that Eponine was telling everyone how her father was the ringleader of the infamous band of murderers and thieves. Eponine, of course, had done no such thing. She was dirty, and not only in the appearance aspect. She didn't need to give people any more reason to judge her. She knew her place was at the bottom of society, and she had quietly accepted that fact long ago.

Eponine gingerly fingered her bruised ribs. They didn't feel broken. If Enjolras really was a spy for her father, she was going to have to hide her injuries. She couldn't let her weaknesses be known. A shirt would cover the bruises on her torso, but this new injury to her ribs would be slightly more difficult. Eponine stood and hissed through her teeth as pain shot through her ribs and ankle. Oh, yes, this rib injury was going to be difficult, but not as difficult as her now swollen ankle. Eponine glanced down at it as she continued her assessment of her injuries. It was about the size of an orange. Eponine had been through much worse, however. She slowly stretched her arms above her head. Her shoulder was sore, but not dislocated. Satisfied that her injuries weren't too serious, Eponine grabbed her pillow and blanket and curled up on the floor. She was never going to get to sleep on that couch, and she was going to need her wits about her when she had to face Enjolras tomorrow.

* * *

Enjolras was getting increasingly frustrated with himself. He needed sleep. Today had been trying enough as it was. The argument with Rupert, Marius's new obsession with a lady, his strange lunch with Eponine, the haircut forced upon him by Combferre and Courfeyrac, the headache that was a drunken Grantaire, the encounter with Eponine in the street. Enjolras sighed. It was only Tuesday.

He ran a hand through his now short hair. In one of their recent arguments, Professor Rupert had mentioned that no one would take Enjolras seriously as a lawyer with his curly blonde hair. Enjolras had been meaning to cut it, purely out of spite, but that was harder than expected. He wanted to be a successful lawyer. He wanted to bring change to society, to break the social norms, and to give freedoms to those oppressed by the law. It had taken both Combferre and Courfeyrac to talk some sense in to his head. Combferre had cut Enjolras' hair in his kitchen, and Enjolras had convinced him to leave some length to it. It was no longer curly, but it was long enough that he could slick it back to achieve a professional look. Enjolras groaned. Great, musing over his looks. He was starting to sound like Pontmercy.

A frown settled on his face as a small cry came from the living room of his apartment. Enjolras' mind was reeling. He didn't consider himself an expert on women. That would be Prouvaire, the group's romance expert. Enjolras felt that he should at least play the role of the gracious host. He rolled over, thinking that he could ask if Eponine needed anything, then thought better of it. What if she started crying? Enjolras had seen Prouvaire comfort crying women quite successfully, but then, he had seen Grantaire try the same thing and get smacked in the face. Enjolras sighed and sunk further into the bed. How was he supposed to help society if he couldn't help this one woman?

* * *

A/N 2 Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait. Thanks for sticking with me and leaving such wonderful reviews. I love you all.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: YIKES! I'm SO sorry guys! I've kept you waiting so long! Now that school's over I _should_ have more time to write.

* * *

Morning dawned all too soon. Eponine had gotten a few hours of restless sleep. The floor had proved much more effective than the sofa. She was all too used to sleeping on the cold floor, and that habit was too hard to break. She wearily rubbed her eyes and began to move the blankets back on to the couch. She was not going to give Enjolras reason to be suspicious of her lifestyle. Life was about what you made of it. If you keep telling yourself the same lies, sooner or later they become true. Eponine had just put the pillow on the couch when a noise from the bedroom startled her. Enjolras was awake. Eponine flew under the blankets just as the door opened.

* * *

Enjolras ruffled his hair and opened his bedroom door. He started as he realized that there was a woman on his couch. Oh, right, Eponine. His sleep addled brain had managed to momentarily forget. All fog, however, quickly left as his sharp eyes took in the scene before him. Something wasn't right, but he shouldn't have expected otherwise. Something about Eponine was odd, perhaps the fire that seemed to shine from her soul, or maybe the shield she hid it behind. This morning, however, was different. He had spent too much time with Courfeyrac and Gavroche. He knew all too well what that glint in their eyes meant. It meant that they were up to something, and Eponine had that same glint in her eyes, albeit a bit dimmed down. For starters, Enjolras had heard her tossing and turning all night. Her blankets were laying neatly over her, as if she had just laid down. Second, she looked far too alert.

Enjolras quickly turned back to his bedroom and made his bathroom ready for the young woman.

Enjolras shuffled to the kitchen and began to make some coffee. He could feel Eponine's eyes on his back as he started the coffee maker. He turned to the fridge, and then realized that he didn't know what Eponine ate.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"I beg your pardon?" Eponine sounded like she had never heard the question before.

"I asked what you wanted for breakfast." Enjolras fought to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Eponine just stared at him in stunned silence. His forehead furrowed in impatience. He didn't think that it was a hard question. He made a mental note to drink a cup of coffee before asking anymore questions of his guest.

"I… I'm flexible." Eponine wasn't used to eating breakfast. She had gotten by on a few scraps of stolen bread a day for years now. She could see the aggravation building behind Enjolras' eyes. Obviously not a morning person. She supposed she could make this a little easier on him. "What do you have?"

Enjolras quickly took inventory. "I can make eggs, pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal. Gavroche finished off my bacon and cereal yesterday, so you're out of luck if you want that."

Eponine's heart lept that the thought of Gavroche. He was her brother, although their parents had since disowned him. He ran away years ago. Their parents didn't care about him. It had been a couple months since she had last seen him. Her father had gotten suspicious of her after-school activities, and it was better for Gavroche if Thenardier didn't know where he was. And to think, he was here… In this apartment! Just yesterday!

"Eponine?" Enjolras' voice cut into her thoughts. Oh, right, breakfast.

"Eggs, please."

"Just eggs." It wasn't a question.

"… Sausage?"

"That's better. I'll start making it. You can take a shower if you want. Just head through my bedroom. You can use my body wash and shampoo and whatever. I already got you towels and some clean clothes to wear. They're on the toilet seat. I also set out a new razor for you, in case you want to shave or whatever." Enjolras' face was threatening to turn pink. He didn't normally make a habit of thinking of women's hygiene.

Eponine mumbled a thank you as she made her way to the bathroom. She felt a little odd, entering Enjolras' bedroom, but that was nothing compared to how she felt as she stepped into the bathroom. Did he think she was dirty? Well, she might be, she considered as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken an actual shower, with soap and everything. Back when her parents owned that motel? Back when life was simple. Her hygiene routine now usually consisted of washing herself with a washcloth at the sink in their small, dingy bathroom.

Eponine reached a shaky hand out and turned on the shower. She adjusted it and stepped into the cool water. She hesitantly grabbed the body wash and began to scrub away at the layers of dirt on her skin. It kind of… tingled. But in a good way. Eponine decided that this was a luxury that she could learn to enjoy.

_"No. Not enjoy. You aren't staying here,_" Eponine thought forcefully. _"I'm only staying until this police business blows over, and then I'm out of here at my first chance."_ Not that Enjolras was unpleasant. In fact, he was quite thoughtful, she mused as she began shaving her legs. And besides, there was nothing wrong with enjoying these kind of things while she had them. Things like food or pillows or this wonderful clean feeling that was overtaking her body. Was this what angels felt like? This is probably what that blonde woman feels like. Cosette.

Eponine snorted and finished washing the shampoo out of her hair. She wasn't going to let that bring her down. Now that she was clean and fed Marius had to pay attention to her. He would finally see her as she was. Well, what she wanted to be. A woman worthy of his love. Eponine turned off the water and opened the shower curtain. She giggled at the steam that had settled in the bathroom. It reminded her of foggy mornings spent walking by the Seine. She ran her fingers over the lush towels. This was too good to be true. It had to be.

* * *

Enjolras had just finished his first cup of coffee as a slight movement from the bedroom door caught his attention. It was Eponine. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he began to put the eggs and sausage on a plate. Was she… limping? He had noticed it last night as well, but he didn't remember noticing it at school. He placed their breakfast on the table just as she sat down.

"Coffee?" He was greeted by a small smile and grateful eyes. He poured her a cup, refilled his cup, and brought over the cream and sugar. Eponine hadn't moved. "Is something wrong with your food?"

"Oh, no! It looks perfect! I just thought I'd wait for you before I started!" Enjolras nodded and they began their breakfast.

The first few minutes were silent. Enjolras' voice broke the sound of silverware hitting plates. "Eponine?"

"Mmm?" Eponine looked up from her eggs.

"Are you alright?"

Caution flooded Eponine's face. "I'm more than alright. You've been a gracious host. Why?"

Enjolras hesitated as he tried to formulate his sentence. Strange, words usually came easy to him. "Well, I noticed you… limping." He spoke slowly. What if the limp wasn't a new thing? The expression on her face darkened, and Enjolras rushed to continue before she lashed out again. "If you're hurt, you should get it looked at."

"I'm NOT going to the hospital," Eponine snapped. Multiple lies were forming in her brain, excuses to get out of this. Enjolras raised an eyebrow, and Eponine felt her heart begin to race. "My mother died in a hospital when I was young, and I haven't been able to set foot in one since." This was a lie. Her mother was probably sitting at home, wondering where her husband was and drinking away her miseries.

Enjolras carefully set his coffee mug on the table. He hadn't meant to bring up bad memories. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to a doctor." Eponine's eyebrows shot up. "Not with the police looking for you. But I have a friend, a med student. Let him look at that ankle of yours."

Eponine thought back to last night's events. She had heard the police. They both had. "Come on! The last one can't be far away!" In her panic over her father's sure fury, she had almost forgotten that the police were looking for her.

Almost.

Eponine rubbed her foot against her ankle. It felt swollen. An injured ankle would certainly hinder any plans to run from danger, and perhaps Enjolras' med friend would bring Marius or Gavroche with him for company. "Would I need to pay him?"

"No. Joly enjoys helping people. If you're injured, he'll help, and if he needs any money for supplies, I'll cover it." Eponine started to protest, but Enjolras cut her off. "He's my friend, and it was my idea. Just let me get it, Eponine."

Eponine meekly nodded. She wasn't used to others providing for her, especially not when it came to money. This day was getting stranger and stranger. "If the police are looking for me, wouldn't it be wise to use a false name?"

Enjolras had to admit, it would be prudent. "I don't even know your real name. Your last name, I mean."

Eponine couldn't tell him that she was a Thenardier. That would ruin everything. She chose to ignore him. "I mean, Eponine isn't a very common name."

Enjolras froze. "What about Professor Rupert?"

"What about him?"

"Well, I figured I'd get your homework. I can't just give him a false name. He'll look at the class list sooner or later and realize that he doesn't have a student by the fake name."

Eponine flinched inwardly. If he had bothered to look at the class list, he would see that he didn't have a student named Eponine, either, but she wasn't about to let on that she wasn't enrolled in the class, or that she hadn't been doing the homework.

Enjolras didn't notice her pause and kept lecturing. "It's your duty as a student to keep doing your homework, just as it's his duty as a professor to come to class every day and teach us with an impartial view, which I realize he isn't doing but-"

"I KNOW." Enjolras' lecture was starting to piss Eponine off. She wasn't an idiot! "Just call me Elise! I'll talk to him myself if he gives you trouble."

Enjolras merely stared Eponine as she snapped at him. He wasn't used to people interrupting his lectures or talking back to him. It was oddly refreshing. He drank some coffee and waiting for Eponine to get the anger out of her system. Once she had quieted, he spoke up once more.

"What is your last name? Your real last name, if you please."

Eponine took a moment to gather her wits. He wasn't even fazed by her outburst. Damn, it was like he was made of marble or something.

"… Jondrette."

* * *

A/N 2: Yes, it's rather short and uneventful, but I wanted to get something out to you guys as proof that I'm still alive.

Comments? Questions? Concerns? Story Ideas? Want to bitch me out for taking so long?

Leave it in a review or find me on tumblr! (Totally didn't even realize that they took out my url. Well, it's whatupoprah. See you there?)

Thanks for sticking with me, ya'll!


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